HOME | DD

Description

(this creature was originally called the "stiletodactyl dolofonikos," but I changed it to "prionodactyl dolofonikos" because of the shape of the claws)

scientific name: prionodactyl dolofonikos
common name: Condordian mantis-wolf
average height: ~4 ft
average weight: ~280-300 lbs

Walking among the shadows of its much larger and formidable cousin is a small, unsuspecting creature of curious nature, yet do not let this seemingly friendly nature fool you. At the blink of an eye, this creature could tear you apart, perhaps even worse than the Theornychus Tyrannos could. At least with the T. Tyrannos, you’d be dead in a single swipe. This creature slashes and cuts with ferocity, and shows no mercy when on the prowl. While such encounters between us and it don't typically end in bloodshed, these are still wild alien animals, and so precaution is advised at all times. This creature, while vicious, tends to keep its space from us, and only rarely will muster the courage to approach one of us. This creature is called the Prionodactyl Dolofonikos.
  The Prionodactyl Dolofonikos (murderous saw-finger) is a species of Prionodactyl, which is a genus of the family Stiletocarpidae. They bring to mind that of the Terran wolf, yet these curious creatures are twice as large as one. These fellows inhabit the steppe of Concordia, similar to the Theronychus, and hunt in packs like their larger cousins. However, these packs consist of comparatively more members, with any given pack having six to ten members, all led by a single thatriarch.
  Together, these creatures work cooperatively to bring down prey three times their size, in some cases more. Their most common food items consist of the heavy Baropods and fast Xylopodaropods. Together, their combined forces make them deadly adversaries. This style of hunting, we have observed, is not a product of intersecting interests, but rather a true cooperative system, with each having the same goal of providing for each other. And after many tests, we have placed the P. Dolofonikos among the many stithopods who display complex social behaviors and social bondings. These creatures seem to genuinely care for each other, like their larger T. Tyrannos cousins and the local Baropods. The social capabilities of Xylopodaropods is still under scrutiny, and so far we only know that they live in herds and display basic mutual care.
  Regardless, these creatures can often take down even the largest of creatures through simple cooperation and coordination. One of the most typical ways these creatures take down their quarry is simply by running them down to exhaustion, which they can do in part thanks to their centaurism, as only four legs being used when running as opposed to six is far more efficient. Another greater advantage is their efficient thermal regulation. Most orthiopods have simple thermoregulation, allowing them to run on a limited amount of time before they tire out, mostly due to overheating. Because of this, most orthiopods need to corral their prey into a designated kill zone so they can kill their prey before they themselves succumb to overheating. With the prionodactyls, they don't have this issue, as they are some of the only orthiopods to evolve a way to cool themselves down while running down prey. When their target has succumbed to their exhaustion, the pack will descend on them, using their clawed arms to tear open the abdomen of the creature. These claws are at the end of the raised raptorial arms, and in the genus prionodactyl these claws are lined with large serrations, making them look something like a saw. These claws can vary a lot, with smaller forms having more slender claws and larger forms having larger, less elongated claws. The number of serrations can also vary, yet there’s little correlation between the number of serrations and the creature’s size. Because the claws can vary so much in their shape, many of our scientists have used this as a standard by which new species are named, and so far we have identified nine extant species. We have also noticed smaller species tending towards ambush-based predatory lifestyles, prioritizing stealth and trap-like raptorial arms over stamina and cutting arms. We are not sure why this is, but there definitely is a connection between size and lifestyle akin to the connection between size and claw shape.
  Another equally common tactic of killing their prey is to simply pile on top of them and drag them down to the ground. In such situations, one or two Prionodactyls (depending on the size of the target) will bound onto the back of the creature, using the backwards-facing claws on the backs of their middle pair of limbs to dig deep into the flesh, anchoring them in place as they swipe and slash at the back of their target. These slashes, combined with the erratic efforts to knock them off, enables the other members of the pack to catch up, and they will drag their target down to the ground before killing it.
  When hunting, the Prionodactyl Dolofonikos will tuck its trunk underneath its body so as to not get in the way of hunting. It is very rare they actually employ their trunk when hunting, and when they do it's typically to inflict more damage while on top of the creature. However, because the trunk is made purely out of muscle and tissue, there is less to hold them in place, and there have been two recorded cases of Prionodactyls having their trunks torn clean off their head when thrown off the body. Although the trunks are, by nature, extremely muscular and durable, they’re far more easily able to be torn off as opposed to limbs simply because of the lack of a bone structure in the trunk. It is this reason we assume they tuck their trunks away when on top of their prey.
  To help coordinate their attacks, they communicate through quick clicking “chirps” produced by modified nasal flaps, which “clap” together to create a type of chirping sound. Many stithopods have independently evolved their own means of vocalizations, with creatures like the Orthiopods relying on modified nasal flaps, which originally served as a means of keeping moisture in the nostrils. In other lineages, like the Pachypodes, air is pushed into a small resonating chamber and is then released through the nostrils, and sounds less like chirping and more like a horn.
  While we are not certain of the sophistication of Orthiopod vocalizations, and by extension Prionodactyl vocalizations, we have recorded at least eleven different vocalizations. Some of these are specifically used during hunting, while others seem to be used in both hunting and social interactions. One of the most common vocalizations is a type of chirping sound that begins with a trilling click that drags on for about a second or two before being succeeded by two quick chirps. We are fairly confident this vocalization means something like “I’m here.”

  When hunting prey smaller than themselves, these creatures tend to rely more on their raptorial anterior-most forelimbs to snatch prey right off the ground, and use their trunk to inflict critical wounds to them, tearing them apart in their arms. Because of this, their arms have adapted small and sharp spikes on the bottom, which prevent any stithopod caught in them from escaping. Creatures who do try to escape end up doing more harm than good, and these spikes are jagged and serrated, and are a nasty but effective tool. Similar to how they are likened to jumping spiders, their raptorial arms have also caused them to be likened to mantids on Earth.

It is quite interesting that the P. Dolofonikos has evolved one pair of eyes to become comparatively much larger than the other eyes. Most stithopod eyes are simple and quite small, and even the Theronychus Tyrannos has eyes that are quite tiny in comparison to the rest of its body. Yet the P. Dolofonikos, along with most other Prionodactyls, seem to have taken a different approach, and have instead invested most of their optical power into a single pair of eyes, with the other two remaining small and less developed, seeming to only serve a minor role in depth perception, though we’re uncertain of this. Because of this peculiar condition, many a scientist have likened their appearance to that of a jumping spider. Many have also likened them due to the fact these aliens also jump.

When mating, Prionodactyls will often choose who fertilizes who first through a “dance” that advertises their fitness. In these dances, they will arch their backs up and raise their forelimbs high in the air, somewhat like how a spider flicks its arms up for defense. This is to help them appear larger than they are, and they will often let out deep stereo-growls from their nostrils. Most of the time, these dances are all it takes to settle who does what, but in the rare event the dance is not enough, they will engage in a battle that ends as soon as it starts, using their claws to slash at each other. These fights are incredibly rare, and so far we have only witnessed them twice.

Description

(this creature was originally called the "stiletodactyl dolofonikos," but I changed it to "prionodactyl dolofonikos" because of the shape of the claws)

scientific name: prionodactyl dolofonikos
common name: Condordian mantis-wolf
average height: ~4 ft
average weight: ~280-300 lbs

Walking among the shadows of its much larger and formidable cousin is a small, unsuspecting creature of curious nature, yet do not let this seemingly friendly nature fool you. At the blink of an eye, this creature could tear you apart, perhaps even worse than the Theornychus Tyrannos could. At least with the T. Tyrannos, you’d be dead in a single swipe. This creature slashes and cuts with ferocity, and shows no mercy when on the prowl. While such encounters between us and it don't typically end in bloodshed, these are still wild alien animals, and so precaution is advised at all times. This creature, while vicious, tends to keep its space from us, and only rarely will muster the courage to approach one of us. This creature is called the Prionodactyl Dolofonikos.
  The Prionodactyl Dolofonikos (murderous saw-finger) is a species of Prionodactyl, which is a genus of the family Stiletocarpidae. They bring to mind that of the Terran wolf, yet these curious creatures are twice as large as one. These fellows inhabit the steppe of Concordia, similar to the Theronychus, and hunt in packs like their larger cousins. However, these packs consist of comparatively more members, with any given pack having six to ten members, all led by a single thatriarch.
  Together, these creatures work cooperatively to bring down prey three times their size, in some cases more. Their most common food items consist of the heavy Baropods and fast Xylopodaropods. Together, their combined forces make them deadly adversaries. This style of hunting, we have observed, is not a product of intersecting interests, but rather a true cooperative system, with each having the same goal of providing for each other. And after many tests, we have placed the P. Dolofonikos among the many stithopods who display complex social behaviors and social bondings. These creatures seem to genuinely care for each other, like their larger T. Tyrannos cousins and the local Baropods. The social capabilities of Xylopodaropods is still under scrutiny, and so far we only know that they live in herds and display basic mutual care.
  Regardless, these creatures can often take down even the largest of creatures through simple cooperation and coordination. One of the most typical ways these creatures take down their quarry is simply by running them down to exhaustion, which they can do in part thanks to their centaurism, as only four legs being used when running as opposed to six is far more efficient. Another greater advantage is their efficient thermal regulation. Most orthiopods have simple thermoregulation, allowing them to run on a limited amount of time before they tire out, mostly due to overheating. Because of this, most orthiopods need to corral their prey into a designated kill zone so they can kill their prey before they themselves succumb to overheating. With the prionodactyls, they don't have this issue, as they are some of the only orthiopods to evolve a way to cool themselves down while running down prey. When their target has succumbed to their exhaustion, the pack will descend on them, using their clawed arms to tear open the abdomen of the creature. These claws are at the end of the raised raptorial arms, and in the genus prionodactyl these claws are lined with large serrations, making them look something like a saw. These claws can vary a lot, with smaller forms having more slender claws and larger forms having larger, less elongated claws. The number of serrations can also vary, yet there’s little correlation between the number of serrations and the creature’s size. Because the claws can vary so much in their shape, many of our scientists have used this as a standard by which new species are named, and so far we have identified nine extant species. We have also noticed smaller species tending towards ambush-based predatory lifestyles, prioritizing stealth and trap-like raptorial arms over stamina and cutting arms. We are not sure why this is, but there definitely is a connection between size and lifestyle akin to the connection between size and claw shape.
  Another equally common tactic of killing their prey is to simply pile on top of them and drag them down to the ground. In such situations, one or two Prionodactyls (depending on the size of the target) will bound onto the back of the creature, using the backwards-facing claws on the backs of their middle pair of limbs to dig deep into the flesh, anchoring them in place as they swipe and slash at the back of their target. These slashes, combined with the erratic efforts to knock them off, enables the other members of the pack to catch up, and they will drag their target down to the ground before killing it.
  When hunting, the Prionodactyl Dolofonikos will tuck its trunk underneath its body so as to not get in the way of hunting. It is very rare they actually employ their trunk when hunting, and when they do it's typically to inflict more damage while on top of the creature. However, because the trunk is made purely out of muscle and tissue, there is less to hold them in place, and there have been two recorded cases of Prionodactyls having their trunks torn clean off their head when thrown off the body. Although the trunks are, by nature, extremely muscular and durable, they’re far more easily able to be torn off as opposed to limbs simply because of the lack of a bone structure in the trunk. It is this reason we assume they tuck their trunks away when on top of their prey.
  To help coordinate their attacks, they communicate through quick clicking “chirps” produced by modified nasal flaps, which “clap” together to create a type of chirping sound. Many stithopods have independently evolved their own means of vocalizations, with creatures like the Orthiopods relying on modified nasal flaps, which originally served as a means of keeping moisture in the nostrils. In other lineages, like the Pachypodes, air is pushed into a small resonating chamber and is then released through the nostrils, and sounds less like chirping and more like a horn.
  While we are not certain of the sophistication of Orthiopod vocalizations, and by extension Prionodactyl vocalizations, we have recorded at least eleven different vocalizations. Some of these are specifically used during hunting, while others seem to be used in both hunting and social interactions. One of the most common vocalizations is a type of chirping sound that begins with a trilling click that drags on for about a second or two before being succeeded by two quick chirps. We are fairly confident this vocalization means something like “I’m here.”

  When hunting prey smaller than themselves, these creatures tend to rely more on their raptorial anterior-most forelimbs to snatch prey right off the ground, and use their trunk to inflict critical wounds to them, tearing them apart in their arms. Because of this, their arms have adapted small and sharp spikes on the bottom, which prevent any stithopod caught in them from escaping. Creatures who do try to escape end up doing more harm than good, and these spikes are jagged and serrated, and are a nasty but effective tool. Similar to how they are likened to jumping spiders, their raptorial arms have also caused them to be likened to mantids on Earth.

It is quite interesting that the P. Dolofonikos has evolved one pair of eyes to become comparatively much larger than the other eyes. Most stithopod eyes are simple and quite small, and even the Theronychus Tyrannos has eyes that are quite tiny in comparison to the rest of its body. Yet the P. Dolofonikos, along with most other Prionodactyls, seem to have taken a different approach, and have instead invested most of their optical power into a single pair of eyes, with the other two remaining small and less developed, seeming to only serve a minor role in depth perception, though we’re uncertain of this. Because of this peculiar condition, many a scientist have likened their appearance to that of a jumping spider. Many have also likened them due to the fact these aliens also jump.

When mating, Prionodactyls will often choose who fertilizes who first through a “dance” that advertises their fitness. In these dances, they will arch their backs up and raise their forelimbs high in the air, somewhat like how a spider flicks its arms up for defense. This is to help them appear larger than they are, and they will often let out deep stereo-growls from their nostrils. Most of the time, these dances are all it takes to settle who does what, but in the rare event the dance is not enough, they will engage in a battle that ends as soon as it starts, using their claws to slash at each other. These fights are incredibly rare, and so far we have only witnessed them twice.